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A minute fuel cell was developed by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has the potential to power gadgets in the future. When I say minute, I meant 3 millimeter across minute - I'm sure its image here gives you a better understanding of how small it really is. It's actually impossible to use the mechanism of larger fuel cells on a design this small. This model makes do without the pump, pressure sensor and other parts of a more conventional fuel cell.

Inside the structure is a thin membrane separating the water from the metal hydride which serves as the water source. Further, underneath the metal hydride is an assembly of electrodes which reacts with the hydrogen to produce electricity. Water reaches the metal hydride as vapor passing through the minuscule pores of the thin membrane. As hydrogen forms, the membrane is pushed upward to prevent entry of more vapor. The latest prototype is able to produce 0.7 volts of electricity and 0.1 milliamps of current for 30 hours. While those numbers are enough to run a microbot, it will take a while before a version that can power a cell phone could be made.